The 2020 NFL Draft is today, baby. Continuing with the On this date series, with April 23rd, we go back in history to a day in NFL Draft history. 2005 the San Francisco 49ers had a decision to make. Was it going to be Alex Smith or Aaron Rodgers? In one of the craziest draft stories in history, the 49ers went with Alex Smith and things changed forever.
Rodgers didn’t just fall in the draft, he fell and fell and fell. Rodgers dropped all the way to 24 where the Packers had the luxury to sit Rodgers for numerous years. Brett Favre was already in house but Green Bay found their quarterback of the future. Little did the Packers know, they just scored one of the most prolific passers in the history of the NFL.
Reporter: How disappointed are you that you will not be a 49er?
Rodgers: Not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn’t draft me.
Rodgers certainly wasn’t wrong. Green Bay was able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2011 with Rodgers leading the way. Funny enough, winning that Super Bowl with head coach Mike McCarthy. The same coach that was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers when they drafted Alex Smith. Rodgers remained bitter about it the entire time.
This will go down as one of the more interesting butterfly effects ever. What would have happened if Rodgers was drafted by San Francisco? Would Rodgers have been as good if he didn’t sit for so many years behind Favre? Would Aaron Rodgers have more titles if Jim Harbaugh and or Kyle Shanahan was his coach? We will never know.
